Saturday, August 22, 2009

What Did You Call Me???

Many years ago, when I was first starting to homeschool and getting exposed to all sorts of new things, I heard about Nehemiah Institute and their work with Biblical Worldview training. It sounded very cool. Somebody spoke about it at the local homeschool group last fall and piqued my curiosity again. I wrote down the website and put it on my to-do list to look at. Obviously, I have a full to-do list and it was low in priority because I just got around to looking at the website a few weeks ago.

There was a "mini" assessment test on the website for $3.80, one you could do online and get the results in the mail. I thought that would be interesting. I wasn't necessarily up to spending fifteen bucks or so on the full test right now (I'm buying too many books on education these days, you know). So I pointed and clicked my way through the twenty questions and waited for my results.

As it turns out, I'm a secular humanist. Who knew.

Actually, as it turns out, the Nehemiah Institute needs some help, in my humble opinion. Even as I was taking the test, I was shaking my head at the statements they were asking me to agree or disagree with. All too often, I had to say, "Well, it depends . . " or "Well, in what context . . ?"

But the last statement was the final straw. It read: Homosexuality is a criminal offense against society. Persons caught conducting a homosexual act should be tried and sentenced in a civil court of law. Seriously? Seriously?? I have gay and lesbian friends who read this blog. They know I love them dearly. They also know I believe their relationships are not what God wants for them. But "a criminal offense against society"? "Tried and sentenced in a civil court of law"?? Oh, heavens. I don't think so.

I went back to the website and ordered their booklet of position papers on the questions in the mini-test (so, yes, I ended up spending more money after all ....) just to see how exactly they justified their stances Biblically (very Berean, I am). And I spent much of yesterday evening laughing and growling and pondering and ranting and pontificating and otherwise emoting my way through the booklet. I expect to be blogging about it more, because I'm quite all up in arms about this.